Moussa Dadis Camara, pardoned on health grounds, was less than a year into a 20-year sentence.

Ukrainian helicopter crew hailed after coming under fire during an evacuation of a military base in South Sudan.

Ebrahim Rasool, who was accused of "race-baiting" by the US, tells the BBC racism in the White House was "self-evident".

It comes ahead of planned protests by a group of war veterans who want Emmerson Mnangagwa to resign.

Kenya goalkeeper Patrick Matasi is provisionally suspended for 90 days amid an investigation into match manipulation in the East African country.

Plymouth Argyle head coach Miron Muslic says he "will try everything possible" to extend Mustapha Bundu's stay at the club.

A selection of the week's best photos from across the African continent and beyond.

Details of the victims have not yet been released, but two children were reported among the dead.

Another 39 people were rescued after the vessel sank in the Red Sea on Thursday morning.

But Ghanaian investigative journalist tells the BBC that the message his victory sends is more important.

Anas Aremeyaw Anas says that his libel victory will encourage other journalists to stand up to powerful figures.

The US is reported to be planning to cut funding to Gavi, which pays for childhood vaccines.

Six people have died after the submarine sank near Hurghada, a popular tourist destination.

Riek Machar and his wife are detained after a convoy of 20 armed vehicles entered his home, his party says.

The Kenya Football Federation launches an investigation into allegations that goalkeeper Patrick Matasi has been involved in match manipulation.

Boualem Sansal, 80, told a far-right news outlet that colonial France gave too much land to Algeria.

About 800 Kenyan police officers have been sent to Haiti to help the authorities tackle restore security.

Harold Riley was the only artist in the world granted a sitting to capture Nelson Mandela on canvas. The unique portrait was unveiled in 2005 and raised over $1m for South African children's charities at an auction held at the Rockefeller Centre in New York.

Mandela sat for the English artist six times in Cape Town and Johannesburg over 18 months which Harold Riley described as "one of the greatest experiences" of his life.

This programme was produced and presented by Reena Stanton-Sharma using archive.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Harold Riley's portrait of Nelson Mandela. Credit: Stephen Lovekin/WireImage for AOL Time Warner - Corporate Communications)

Fighting in a mineral-rich region of central Africa proves a quandary for Chinese business interests.